Kenny Smith challenges NBA players to donate 10% of their salaries to communities they care about

During his playing career, former NBA player and now TV analyst, Kenny Smith, was never known from shying away from the spotlight. He was always ready to take the big shot and was regarded as one of the fiercest shooters of his time. Now, he is still firing shots – to the NBA players, that is.

“Six percent of the country make up 74 percent of the NBA. Seventy-four percent has an availability of $90 million per team. There comes a social, economic responsibility with that and I am sorry it has to be you.”

Smith’s challenge comes in after the series of police-involved shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota this past couple of weeks. He says these events portray the societal divide that exists between poor African-Americans and the rest of the world.

He added:

“We are in a societal undercurrent trying to figure out how to get pulled up. If you have social and economic power and education power, you become important.”

The co-host of Inside the NBA said that there will be committees that will be designed to guide players to organizations directly helping their communities’ much needed concerns. He also says he will work with the NBA and major sponsors to garner support.